Motion picture film moving mechanism



Aug. 7, 1934. J. MlHALYl 1,969,471

MOTION PICTURE FILM MOVING MECHANISM Fild May 4, 1932 ll l...

Patented Aug. 7, 1934 UNITED STATES} PATENT OFFICE.

-MO'1'ION rrc'ruar. rim MOVING mscnam Joseph Mihalyi, Rochester, N. Y., assignor to Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application May 4, 1932, Serial No. 609,081

10 Claims. (CL 271-23) film'by means of sprocket teeth engaging the.

perforations. One object of my invention is to provide a cooperating sprocket and film guide which are immovably located with respect toeach other and which will hold film securely on the sprocket teeth and at the same time permit 10 film to be threaded between the sprocket and roller. Another object'of my invention is to provide a sprocket and roller with cooperating film engaging flanges so arranged that film may be entered between a pair of the film engaging i6 flanges. Another object of my invention is'to provide a roller-for cooperating with a sprocket, the roller being provided with spaced film engaging flanges separated by a cut away portion' which permits a film to be threaded edge-wise between the sprocket and roller. Still another object of i my invention is to provide cooperating film engaging rollers and sprocket, there being film guideways extending between pairs of film engaging rollers, and other objects will appear from '5 the following specification, the novel features being particularly pointed out in the claims at the end thereof.

Coming now to the drawing wherein like refer-' ence characters denote like parts throughout,

0 Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a typical motior picture camera having a cooperating sprocket and film rollers constructed in accordance with and embodying a preferred form of my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation showing the relation of a portion of the film sprocket and a cooperating roller as indicated in Fig. 1.

.- Fig.3 isaviewsimilartoFigJbutwithafilm partially entered into the operative position.

Fig. 4 isa view similar to Fig. 3 but with the film completely entered into a film guiding position, and

' Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary detail on line While it is quite obvious that my invention can be applied to any machine in which a perforated film band is moved by means of a'sprocket and is held in position against the sprocket by film guiding rollers, it is particularly suitable for use on small motion picture cameras and projectors which must be inexpensively made.-

In Fig. 1 a typical small amateur motion picture camera is indicated as having its door opened as for loading. The camera may consist 'of a mechanism plate 1 carrying the usual film supporting posts 2 and 3 on which reels 4 and 5 of film may be placed. Film isled from a supply reel 4 underneath the film engaging rollers 6 which may be connected by a film guide 7 and the film F is then looped at 8 passing through a gate comprising a movable member 9 and a fixed member 10, is looped at 11 and is then passed under a second pair of film engaging rollers 6 connected by a film guide '1, after which the film may be threaded upon a take-up reel 5. The

camera may have'the usual side walls 12 and on' a front wall 13 an objective may be mounted in .the housing 14. Except for the relation of the sprocket and the film pressing rollers, this camera may be of any standard construction.

.The film engaging rollers 6, as best shown in the fragmentary detail views, may consist of a pair .of spaced film engaging flanges 15 and 16 and having a cut away portion 1'1 between these flanges and a tapered portion 18 leading up to the lowermost film engaging flange 16. As indicated in Fig. 4, the film engaging flanges l5 and 16 are spaced. apart a distance sufiicient to contact with only the-extremeedges of the film F. In other words, the outer edges of the film engaging flanges are spaced apart substantially the same distance as the width of the film F. The roller 6 is preferably mounted to turn freely upon a post 19 which may be supported by the mechanism plate 1.

As indicated in Fig. 1 the film engaging rollers are preferably provided in pairs and these pairs of rollers are preferably connected by means of a film guideway '7 which, as indicated in Fig. 5 is substantially U-shaped in cross section, with ends 20 of the U-shaped member being adapted to contact with the extreme edges of the film and the central portion 21 of the U -shaped member connecting the two edges. It should be noted that the film engaging guides 20 are spaced toward the extreme edges of a film.

The film sprocket-22 may be mounted to turn upon a central post 23, this sprocket being also provided with a pair of spaced film engaging flanges 24 and 25. The flange 24 is preferably provided with sprocket teeth 26 and the flange is preferably free from such teeth.

The sprocket 22, as best indicated in Fig. 4, is of less width than the width of the film F'and between the film engaging flange 24 of the sprocket and 15 of the roller there lies an opening of a width somewhat greater than the thickness '1 of the film F, the sprocket teeth 26 extending beneath the film engaging flange 15.

Since the film engaging rollers cannot be moved the position shown in Fig. 4 in which the exposite said sprocket teeth whereby film may be slid edgewise between said sprocket and roller.

than the width of a film, a fixedly mounted flanged film engaging flange on with respect to the sprocket 22 it is necessary film, one flange on the roller being positioned beto enter a film between the roller and sprocket yond the end of said sprocket, and film engaging to move it into an operative position in which flanges on opposite sides of the sprocket and roller the sprocket teeth 26 engage the perforations P and spaced from each other defining a path for in the film. To do this the film F is started as the opposite sideof the film, whereby a film may indicated in Fig. 2 by thrusting one edge of the be inserted between the spaced film engaging film through the opening between the off-set film flanges at the point where the roller flange exengaging flanges 15 and 24. The film being held tends beyond the end of the sprocket. in a curved position is slid downwardly as indi- 3. In a perforated motion picture film feedingcated in Fig. 3 until the lower edge E of the film device, the combination with a sprocket of defistrikes the beveled portion 18 of the rollers which nite width having film engaging flanges and teeth, cams the lower edge between the film engaging of a fixedly mounted roller of greater width than flanges 25 and '16. The downward movement of said sprocket, a pair of film engaging flanges on the film islimited as shown in Fig. 4 by the flange said roller spaced difierently from the sprocket 27. When the film has been completely entered film engaging flanges one roller flange'being pobetween the roller 6 and the sprocket 22 it lies in sitioned beyond the flange on said sprocket there being a cut away portion between said roller treme upper edge of the film extends up beyond flanges into which the teeth of said sprocket the upper edge 28 of the sprocket. project, the film engaging flanges on one side of As indicated inFig. 5, when the film is entered the sprocket and roller being offset a distance between the film engaging rollers 6 and the sufficient to allow a film to be threaded edgewise sprocket 22, it is also entered between the film between said sprocket teeth and said. roller. guiding flanges 20 which tend to hold the film 4. In a perforated motion picture film feeding smoothly curving around the periphery of the. device, the combination with a sprocket having sprocket in contact with the driving teeth. film engaging flanges and teeth of a fixedly With a film moving device arranged as above mounted roller of greater width than the sprocket, described, the lower edge of the film is firmly a pair of film engaging flanges on said roller, the 1 guided by means of the cooperating film engagfilm engaging flanges on one side of the sprocket ing flanges 16 and 25 which are preferably spaced and roller lying directly opposite each other to slightly further apart than the thickness of the guide both sides of one film edge, the film engag-'- film. The upper edge of the film, however, is ing flanges on the other side of said sprocket and not guided in the same way since the cooperating roller being spaced axially apart whereby one film engaging flanges 15 and 24 are oil-set with will guide the extreme edge of a film and the respect to each other, flange 15 lying so as engage the extreme edge of'one side of the film, said edge. and f an e 24 b in -s t so as to engage an 5. In a perforated motion picture film feeding area adjacent the edge spaced from that p01'-- device, the combination withasprocketand roller tion whichis engaged by flange 15. The spaced of greater width than the sprocketadapted to film engaging flanges 15 and 24 allow a film to guide a film, of two film engaging flanges on the be entered between them for the purpose of sprocket and roller, one pair Lying opposite eachl threading, but when the film has been placed other and being adapted to engage opposite sides in operative position they cooperate to hold the of a, film, the other pair of film engaging flanges film properly on the sprocket teeth 26. The. lying spaced axially from each other whereby one curvature of the film being pressed against the flange may guide one area of the film and the p rip ry of Sprocket 2 t nds to prevent the other flange will guide an adjacent film area. film from buckling across its length. 6. In a perforated motion picture film feeding A film driving sprocket provided with coopto other will guide a portion of the film adjacent device, the combination with a sprocket and Grating fi di o s and fla es c0 roller of greater width than the sprocket adapted structed in accordance with the above described to guide a film, of two film invention is simple in construction since it rethe sprocket and roller, one pair lying opposite qu no vi pa a d is a y operated each other and being adapted to engage opp 4 in practice. site sides of a film, the other pair of film enga What I claim as my invention and desire to be ing flanges lying spaced axially from each other i secured by Letters Patent of the United States is: whereby one flange my guide one area of the film 1 1. In a perforated motion picture film feeding and the other flangewm guide on adjacent film it device, the combmation with a sprocket having area and a cut away portion b tween the film teeth thereon said sprocket being of less width engaging flanges f the roner providing a space than the width of a film, a fixedly mounted for inserting a m edgewise between t 1 ,11

flanged roller spaced from the sprocket a distn k t tance slightly greater than the thickness of a film, 23:? mm engagmg flanges 8 9 8 fi said roller being of greater width than said 7. In a-perforated motion picture film feeding,

:gifiig: gg r 323% i l sg g? device, the combination with cooperatin engaging and moving devices comprising a;

s rocket and in ludin cut aw area lym g o p c g a ay p sprocket of less width than a film, a pair of;

spaced film engaging flanges thereon, a roller atj 2. In a perforated motion picture film feeding least 88 Wide 88 the fi D 0f p d fi device, the combination with a sprocket having aging flanges th Said flanges being 0 i teeth thereon said sprocket being of less width substantially the same width s the film. one? the sprocket and roller: roller spaced from the sprocket a distance slightin Offset axially with respect to each ly greater than the thickness of a fllm, said roller said roller film engaging flanges terminating in being of greater width than said sprocket, film a cut away portion whereby a film may be en--; engaging flanges on the sprocket and roller detered edgewise'between the axially offset sprocketf fining between them a path forone side of the and roller flanges and moved through the cut engaging flanges on away portion of the roller into a position defined by the tour film engaging flanges.

8. In a perforated motion picture film feeding device, the combination with a sprocket having teeth thereon, of a pair of spaced film rollers of greater width than the sprocket, film engaging flanges carried'by the rollers in spaced relation with cut away portions therebetween, and a pair of arcuate shaped film guiding rails spaced from each other and extending between the film guiding flanges oi the pair of rollers and adapted to guide the edges of a film.

9. In a perforated motion picture film feeding device, the combination with a sprocket having teeth thereon, of a pair of spaced film rollers of greater width than the sprocket, film engaging ilanges carried by the rollers in spaced relation with cut away portions therebetween, and a pair if arcuate shaped film guiding rails spaced from :ach other and extending between the film guidwith cut away portions therebetween, and a pair of arcuate shaped film guiding rails spaced from each other and extending between the film guiding flanges of the pair of rollers and adapted to guide the edges of a film, said film guiding rails being connected together at their edges spaced from the film.

JOSEPH MIIIALYI. 

